Today's Labour News

SowetanLive reports that a director of a coal transportation company learnt with shock that one of his employees was allegedly behind an attack on a truck belonging to a subcontractor.

SG Coal confirmed on Monday that Nelson Shongwe, who was allegedly filmed on dashcam video hijacking a truck and setting it alight, was among the five men who appeared in the Ermelo Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga on Monday. Shongwe and four others have all been linked to the spate of truck burnings. Their case was postponed to next week. The five are accused of conspiracy to commit malicious damage to property, robbery with aggravating circumstances and attempted murder. SG Coal director Peter Mountford said Shongwe was identified by a private security company contracted by the subcontractor. Shongwe was off duty at the time of the attack. “We are shocked. We don’t employ any foreign nationals and we don’t know what motivated Mr Shongwe or the people he was aligned with. He doesn’t have a bad track record with our company and we have never experienced any issues with our workers because we don’t have foreigners in our employ,” Mountford said. He added: “The prosecution process is currently under way and there will be a similar process from our side and obviously he (Shongwe) will be dismissed.” The subcontractor said that his truck driver who was allegedly accosted by Shongwe was traumatised after the incident and was not keen to go back to work. The subcontractor said the incident has had a huge impact on his business as his truck and trailer were worth R3.2m and he will have to fork out R500,000 in insurance excess fee.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jeanette Chabalala & Mahlohonolo Magadla at BusinessLive

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